I was with you until the last sentence.

Best lower playfield in the last ten years? Absolutely. But best ever in all of pinball? Absolutely not. Haunted House and Black Hole are widely regarded as having the best lower playfields, with full size flippers and drop targets. They are far more challenging and satisfying to play than Grandpa’s lab (and a big reason why my wife is opposed to Munsters).

Unfortunately so many folks new to the hobby don’t have the opportunity to appreciate the best of previous generations of pinball and classic features like inverted flippers, gobble holes, drop target banks, varitargets, rollovers, etc. I’m a big fan of pinball history. I think it would be awesome to have a Munsters Premium along with a Haunted House specifically because they both have lower playfields. But one is a novelty and one is a classic.

Majorly disagree here. Always play both when I find them in the wild ( Black hole is close, harder to find Haunted house), and spent good time on them when younger. I remember.

Munsters lower pf is easily the best of the 3 IF you like mini ball challenge ( many don't, hence another reason for people to bash). I'm fascinated with it.

The gameplay is real, wireform w vuk, saucer shot for mystery, ramp, orbits, center target that engages MULTIBALL....along w video and callouts.

"Novelty" insults the innovation this feature adds.

So many reasons to like this game, yet so many ways to pick it apart. A frustrating club thread for sure at the moment. I'm honestly avoiding it most of the time as it's just the same old story.

I hope new owners ( and they are growing) start to jump in more with those of us that already love the game for more realistic dialogue.

Yikes. No. They completely ruin those games by eliminating any chance of having the main playfield being fun to shoot. Haunted house isn’t quite as bad as they made the upper playfield to compensate for the horrible main playfield.

Those lower playfields are novelty only. Gameplay, Munsters crushes them.

So a top tier lower play field design, a top tier topper design, a really beautiful and fun to shoot main play field and a rules design to me that is like say BSD. Build it up and enjoy the show. It’s pricing in the secondary market has been lowered as a result of all the hate. What is not to like? .

I know, the code is not what some expected and I agree could use some work. My Munsters sits next to Elvira 3 and they complement each other nicely. One game is fast, really need to hit the multiplier shot, and place a bet on hitting a future jackpot. The other is longer ball times, every shot seems to score something, and has a tremendous amount going on at any given time. I like both.

Have faith my brothers! Code will come ( and if not , Munsters is a fun game anyway) !

...Indeed, they do compliment each other nicely.

E & M (resized).jpg

also prefer "real" side flippers & pinball...
and than, i also doesnt like the mini playfield on Shrek/FG

You are a wise, wise man!!

Oh, and if you do decide to move Haunted House on, keep me in mind. I’ve been on a hiatus from buying, but hopefully starting up soon with a few more older classics (already have a nice restored EM being held by a friend). Where are you located?

You should apply for a marketing job at Stern.

I won't disagree with that. All the other pin's lower play fields pale in comparison.

I'm not saying the lower play filed is no good. All I am saying is that the novelty was worn off (for me anyway).

Enjoy your lower play field all you want.

I just get tired of reading about some Pro owners thinking they missed the boat by not buying a Premium.

There is nothing lacking in game play with the Pro. No Pro owner needs to sell off his Pro just to go buy a Premium.

The Pro stands firm on its own. It needs no apologies.

If Munsters had done all that using a full size pinball I’d agree with @who-dey.

The shrunken playfield fits with the Munsters theme perfectly and is fun to play. Perhaps “novelty“ was a poor descriptive choice but it’s what comes to mind when people say it could be a standalone desktop game. But calling it the best lower playfield in the history of pinball is a stretch.

Would Haunted House be as good a game without the lower playfield? No.
Would Munsters be a good game without the lower playfield? Yes. Just ask most Pro owners.

I think chuckwurt points out the main issue with lower playfields in general - they limit design options for the main playfield. As far as the Munsters lower playfield goes, I don’t know anyone that doesn’t like it once they have played it. That said, further discussion of “best lower playfields’ probably belongs in another thread.

I am quoting this for emphasis because I could only give your post one thumbs up.

I like playing the pro model also. Theres no shame in owning a pro, still a great fun game.

Sold out LE last night, moving on to Dwight's next game a TMNTLE. I am sad to see the game go, the bank account is not.

Plenty of love for Munsters in Australia. We answered a wanted ad and had the game sold in 30 minutes. Really nice people, good to see the game going to a nice home. Congratulations to the new owners!

Sad to hear you’re out of the club, but will see you in TMNT! Munsters is a gem of a game.

Our Pinball room is full at the moment so we have to sell a game if we want another one. Looks like LOTRLE is going out the door as well.

Oh that’s a tough one, I made that mistake once and took years to get another HUO immaculate machine again. LOTR is by far one of Sterns masterpieces and not leaving again.

GLWTS. They sell quick And their price tags have been rising.

I have a B&W Prem up for sale or trade with 245 plays on it in the market place, also a load of mods installed as well. Shoot me a PM if anyone is interested and local who wishes to come see and play it. Condition is just like out of the box new, I'm the original owner.

Great seller! ... I got a BM66 from DeathHimself ... the pin was in perfect condition with a lot of awesome mods.

I now have a BM66 and a Munsters Pro next to each other ... I am a happy camper!

Thanks, I cannot tell you how much I miss that BM66 ( another mistake on my part of selling ) however I'm glad it found its way into a great home, enjoy it.

Two things:

1) I turned the lower play field back on. It is OK. I can take it or leave it. However, the lower play field integrates nicely with the lower play field on.
( The above sentence should read; The topper integrates nicely with the lower play field..).

I'll try this out for awhile.

2) I set the flipper power to the lowest power setting. As one who loves fast hard hitting flippers I found the lowest flipper setting to be quite adequate. The game plays just a little bit different in a way I cannot describe, but I think I will leave the flippers on the low power setting.

I agree, one of Stern greats but we are just not playing the game. We advertised it and took a deposit in less than 30 minutes. Game is going to a good home!
No regrets when we sell a game, it means a new game is coming!

Just trying to create a shooter plate for Munsters. My first try, ugly painted and i still have to adjust 1 or 2 measures.
But i hope soon i have it ready.

P1120034 (resized).JPG

I agree, if the machine does not get any play then it's time to move to a new much appreciated home. These things are too big and expensive to have laying around like bookends.

That's why I have my Munsters B&W Prem listed, I have limited game space and it's no longer getting played so time to bring in something new or older that will get some use. Glad to hear LOTR went quickly, they usually don't sit on the market all that long as it's still a well desired game.

Adjusted it to fit a little better and made the font bigger.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4483452
in the designs is also a plain version, that can be modified with own decals.

P1120035 (resized).JPG

Another one: 1313 Mockingbird Lane Coindoor decal.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4485513

now my Munsters is overloaded and i can not stick anymore onto it

P1120040 (resized).JPG

Must have been cheap then, as they are not moving fast at even $11,000.00
Seen many listed for weeks without a bite.
Shame, awesome looking game.

Munsters is my first game and I have enjoyed it. I do wish it was a little deeper now that I have owned it for awhile. Sounds like code may be coming. The theme is so awesome I can hold out. I’m actively looking for another game NOT to replace Munsters but to set beside Munsters.

Funny thing...was on the pins last night for around 4 hours ( after a long week)...played a few of my very deep games to start, as I was ready for an adventure or 2 ( you can look at my lineup and guess, I won't name them).

I like to wind down the evening on a "light" game...fun to shoot, but not heavy strategy involved...usually TAF, or WCS ( yep).

Decided to hit Munsters just a bit before 12am ( for MM)..stayed on it for an hour...truthfully the most fun of the evening. It's just such a great game for me...challenging, fast, but not complicated. Sometimes, that's all I want...

Dam let's see maybe: WOZ, TZ, POTC or BM66. I say one or two of those for sure

It couldn't of been bm66 because that one is more fun

Correct...it was a Pirate and crimefighter night earlier..

BM66 is fun, but a difficult shotmaker...alot of ways to play, but a plan has to be in place..

Thinking tonight is "angry pin" night...some journeys on TZ, then managing beatdowns on IM and TronLE

Munsters should mitigate the damage..

And THIS is exactly where Munsters lives for me!

Fastest and most fun shooting game in my lineup.

When I just want to bat a ball around and geek out to some wicked physics of flow...Munsters tickles the itch.

Plain and simple....It makes me smile...

Added some lights to my oversized Dragula. (I included a pic that shows the original car next to it for scale) I put a red at the engine, a white under the bubble & a green under the car.

20200618_220143 (resized).jpg

20200618_220204 (resized).jpg

20200618_220224 (resized).jpg

That looks great. What is the make/size of the one you are using?

i posted it further back in this thread. let me go search for it.

here ya go, I posted the details here.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/1313-mockingbird-lane-munsters-club/page/169#post-5663710

Yeah I find myself going to Munsters all the time and really enjoying it. After a frustrating game on Houdini or TWDLE, an epic game on WOZ that last for ages over to Munsters for a quick game and to feel better about myself! It flows great and is just fun to play

People complain about Munsters being terrible rules. While not perfect I agree something just is missing.

Much of the complaints really stem from Pro and it's super simplistic rules. I think the premium makes up for
this a bit with the Lower Playfield game.

This game does have a lot going for it. #1 Fun music / Fun Callouts / Beautiful art and enduring theme.

Let's say we had a chance to make this game better. How might we achieve that in this game?

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/munsters-code-suggestions-for-dwight

Can’t wait! I upgraded to the LE, coming in this week! Now is a great time to buy a LE if any is looking! I will post pics when I get it.
Munster on people

Just joined the club! Got a pin the wife wanted at a great price. It is a beautiful work of art. Its sits between two pins we love - the challenging Houdini and the simple but pure fun Creech. I think it sits somewhere between them, code wise too

20200622_211047 (resized).jpg

Welcome to the club, lots of great people in here. That black and white is sexiest of them all.....I may be biased a little bit though.

The Munters Pro I have on route, is making a crackling noise from the speakers when sitting idle with power on. Anyone run into this? Curious if it is speakers, amp or board?

EDIT: this is what the bar owner told me, I have not gone on site yet.

I see at least one person in the TMNT thread already noting the code is not as deep as they’d like...

And it’s 1.01.

Hope they know what they are getting into.

It will be interesting to hear Dwights take which I already assume is “it’s pretty much done”.

If TMNT gets similar treatment and sentiment to Munsters code wise, I wonder if it will change Sterns tune?

Yeah, have you seen the rules doc? It's deeper than Munsters but not by much. They didn't outline what is in the 8 modes. Seems like it's going more for variation on the characters than modes. I am interested in playing it but the theme doesn't interest me at all. Dwight did say in the reveal stream that it was going to release feature complete. It'll be interesting to see what they do with that code and if it really is.

Alek is like the 15th best player in the world. Lots of games aren’t deep enough for him. Haha

Tune on what?

I would be great for all their releases to be done like this. Feature complete. Don’t expect anything else but scoring balances and bug fixes. Maybe people will stop buying games with the hopes it becomes a game they love eventually. Wishful thinking I’m sure.

As long as I have been in this it would be a first for a pinball company especially Stern to release complete!!!!

Wait then again you can call anything complete as long as people keep throwing money at new Stern games. When the money train slows nothing will be complete.

Just the way pinball works.